On this day in History - Dec. 30

• 0039 - Tito Flavio Vespasiano was born (d. 0081). Roman emperor.
• 0274 - St Felix I ends his reign as Catholic Pope.
• 1066 – Granada massacre: A Muslim mob storms the royal palace in Granada, crucifies Jewish vizier Joseph ibn Naghrela and massacres most of the Jewish population of the city.
• 1204 - Abû 'Uthmân Sa'îd Hakam al Qurashi was born (d. 1282). Ruler of Minorca.
• 1218 - Richard de Clare, 4th Earl of Hertford dies (b. 1162). English politician.
• 1460 - Wars of the Roses: The Duke of York is defeated at the Battle of Wakefield.
• 1460 – Edmund, Earl of Rutland (b. 1443) is murdered after batlle. Second son of Richard, Duke of York.
• 1460 - Richard, Duke of York dies killed in battle (b. 1411). Claimant to the English throne.
• 1525 - Jacob Fugger dies (b. 1459). German banker and merchant.
• 1552 - Simon Forman was born (d. 1611). English occultist and astrologer.
• 1572 - Galeazzo Alessi dies (b. 1512). Italian architect.
• 1573 - Giovanni Battista Giraldi dies (b. 1504). Italian writer.
• 1591 - Pope Innocent IX dies (b. 1519).
• 1621 - Saint Job of Maniava dies (b. 1550). Ukrainian Orthodox Saint.
• 1640 - John Francis Regis dies (b. 1597). French saint.
• 1642 - Vicenzo da Filicaja was born (d. 1707). Italian poet.
• 1644 - Jan Baptist van Helmont dies (b. 1580). Belgian chemist, physiologist and physician who recognized the existence of discrete gases and identified carbon dioxide. He was part medieval alchemist and part scientist.
• 1662 - Archduke Ferdinand Charles of Austria dies (b. 1628).
• 1673 - Ahmed III was born (d. 1736). Ottoman Sultan.
• 1678 - William Croft was born (d. 1727). English composer.
• 1691 - Robert Boyle dies (b. 1627). Irish chemist and natural philosopher noted for his pioneering experiments on the properties of gases and his espousal of a corpuscular view of matter that was a forerunner of the modern theory of chemical elements (See Boyle's law).
• 1703 -Tokyo hit by Earthquake; about 37,000 die.
• 1722 - Charles Yorke was born (d. 1770). Lord Chancellor of Great Britain.
• 1724 - Louis-Jean-François Lagrenée was born (d. 1805). French painter.
• 1740 - Princess Elizabeth Caroline of Wales was born (d. 1759).
• 1741 - Bartolomeo Giacometti was born. Composer.
• 1769 - Nicholas Taaffe, 6th Viscount Taaffe dies (b. 1685). Austrian soldier.
• 1781 - John Needham dies (b. 1713). English naturalist and Roman Catholic priest.
• 1785 - Dorothea Lieven was born (d. 1857). Russian noblewoman.
• 1788 - Francesco Zuccarelli dies at 86. Italian rococo painter/etcher.
• 1803 - The Maratha chief Daulat Rao Sindhia and the British signed the Treaty of Surji-Arjungaon.
• 1803 - Francis Lewis dies (b. 1713). Signer of the American Declaration of Independence.
• 1816 - The Treaty of St. Louis is proclaimed.
• 1819 - John W. Geary was born (d. 1873). 1st Mayor of San Francisco.
• 1819 - Theodor Fontane was born (d. 1898). German novelist and poet.
• 1838 - Émile Loubet was born (d. 1929). 7th President of France.
• 1847 - John Peter Altgeld was born in Niederselters, Prussia. Reformist Illinois governor known principally for his pardon of German American anarchists involved in the Haymarket Riot.
• 1850 - John Milne was born [d. 1913]; English seismologist and geologist who invented the horizontal pendulum seismograph and promoted the establishment of seismological stations.
• 1851 - Asa Griggs Candler was born (d. 1929). American soft-drink manufacturer who developed Coca-Cola®.This soft drink began in 1886 when a druggist named John "Doc" Pemberton started selling the syrup that he used in his drugstore fountain drinks. When he died, the formula (still a very well kept secret) was sold to Asa Candler, a marketing genius.
• 1852 - Future U.S. President Rutherford B. Hayes married Lucy Ware Webb in Cincinnati.
• 1853 - Gadsden Purchase: The United States buys land from Mexico to facilitate railroad building in the Southwest.
  1853 - A dinner party is held inside a life-size model of an Iguanodon created by Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins and Sir Richard Owen in south London.
• 1853 - André Messager was born (d. 1929). French composer.
• 1861 - US banks stops payments in gold.
• 1861 - Henrique de Paiva Couceiro was born in Lisbon. Portuguese militar and Governor of Angola.
• 1862 - USS Monitor sinks off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.
• 1865 - Rudyard Kipling was born in Bombay, India (d. 1936). British writer ("Jungle Book" and "Soldiers Three") and recipient of the Nobel Prize in literature in 1907.
• 1868 - Capitulación de las tropas paraguayas ante el duque de Caxias. Francisco Solano López no se rinde y acompañado por un puñado de combatientes, emprende al retirada hacia el norte de Paraguay .
• 1869 - Stephen Butler Leacock was born. British-Canadian writer and economist.
• 1873 - the American Metrological Society was formed in New York City.
• 1873 - Alfred E. Smith was born (d. 1944). American politician.
• 1878 - William Aberhart was born (d. 1943). Canadian politician.
• 1879 - The Pirates of Penzance is first performed (Paignton, Devon, England).
• 1879 - Sri Ramana Maharshi was born (d. 1950). Indian philosopher.
• 1879 - Manuel de Araújo Porto Alegre dies in Lisbon, Portugal (b. 29 Nov 1806). Brazilian painter and writer.
• 1880 - The Transvaal becomes a republic and Paul Kruger, its first president.
• 1882 - Ángel Roffo was born. Argentine physician and investigator.
• 1883 - Leonardo Coimbra was born in Lixa, Amarante (d. 1936). Portuguese philosopher.
• 1883 - Lester Patrick was born (d. 1960). National Hockey League player and coach
• 1883 - John Henry Dallmeyer dies (b. 1830). German-born British inventor and manufacturer of lenses and telescopes.
• 1884 - Hideki Tojo was born (d. 1948). Prime Minister of Japan.
• 1888 - U.S. troops intervene in Haiti
• 1890 - The Dressel Missions fight happens today.
• 1890 - Adolfo Ruiz Cortines was born (d. 1973). President of Mexico(1952 - 1958).
• 1896 - José Rizal (b. 1861), Philippine nationalist, is executed by firing squad in Manila.
• 1897 - Natal annexes Zululand.
• 1897 - Alfredo Bracchi was born (d. 1976). Italian author.
• 1898 - Luís da Câmara Cascudo was born in Natal. Brazilian writer, journalist and folklorist.
• 1899 - Helge Ingstad was born (d. 2001). Norwegian explorer, discoverer of the only confirmed Viking settlement in America.
• 1899 - James Paget dies (b. 1914). English surgeon and physiologist who is considered (with Rudolf Virchow) to be a founder of the science of pathology. Paget discovered (1834) in human muscle the parasitic worm that causes trichinosis. In 1877, he described Paget's disease of bone (osteitis deformans), a chronic disease of bones.
• 1900 - Battleships are sent to Tangiers by the Spanish government as the first part of its intended invasion of Morocco.
• 1902 - A new southing record was set by Robert Falcon Scott, in company with Ernest Henry Shackleton and E.A. Wilson, as they reached the Ross Ice Shelf at the head of the Ross Sea in Antarctica.
• 1903 - A fire at the Iroquois Theater in Chicago kills 600.
• 1904 - Dmitri Kabalevsky was born (d. 1987). Russian composer.
• 1905 - Former Governor Frank Steunenberg is assassinated near his home in Caldwell, Idaho.
• 1905 - Daniil Kharms was born (d. 1942). Soviet-era surrealist and absurdist poet, writer and dramatist.
• 1906 - The All India Muslim League is founded in Dacca, East Bengal, British India Empire, which later laid down the foundations of Pakistan.
• 1906 - Iran becomes a constitutional monarchy.
• 1906 - Carol Reed was born (d. 1976). English film director.
• 1908 - Thomas-Alfred Bernier dies (b. 1844). Canadian lawyer, journalist and senator.
• 1910 - Paul Bowles was born (d. 1999). American composer and author.
• 1911 - Sun Yat-sen is elected the first president of the Republic of China.
• 1911 – Jeanette Nolan was born (d. 1998). American actress.
• 1913 - Tungsten filaments: Dr William David Coolidge patented a method for making ductile tungsten for the purpose of making filaments for electric lamps .
• 1913 - Elyne Mitchell was born (d. 2002). Australian author.
• 1913 - Lucio Agostini Italian-born (d. 1996). Canadian conductor and composer.
• 1914 - Bert Parks was born (d. 1992). Canadian television host.
• 1914 - Jo Van Fleet was born (d. 1996). American actress.
• 1916 – The last coronation in Hungary is performed for King Charles IV and Queen Zita.
• 1916 - Grigory Yefimovich Rasputin was poisoned by Russian conservatives in an effort to halt his influence over Empress Alexandra and the royal family.
• 1917 - Un cataclismo de grandes dimensiones asola Guatemala, cuya ciudad capital quedó convertida en ruinas.
• 1917 - Seymour Melman was born (d. 2004). American industrial engineer.
• 1918 - The Spartacus League lead by Rosa Luxemburgo was transformed into the Communist Party of Germany at a party congress.
• 1919 - Lincoln's Inn in London admits its first female bar student.
• 1920 -Albania was admitted to the League of Nations as sovereign and independent state.
• 1920 - Jack Lord was born (d. 1998). American actor.
• 1921 - Rashid Karami was born (d. 1987). Lebanese stateman.
• 1922 - Vladimir Lenin proclaims the establishment of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) with its capital in Moscow, eventually incorporated 15 republics and constituted (in area) the largest country in the world until its dissolution in 1991.
• 1923 - Sara Lidman was born (d. 2004). Swedish writer.
• 1923 - Inauguración del primer servicio público aéreo en Argentina (de Buenos Aires a Montevideo).
• 1924 - Edwin Hubble announces the existence of other galaxies.
• 1927 - The Ginza Line, the oldest subway line in Asia, opened in Tokyo.
• 1927 - Bernard Barrow was born (d. 1993). American actor.
• 1927 - Robert Hossein was born. French film actor and director.
• 1928 - Bo Diddley was born. American singer and musician.
• 1929 - Barbara Nichols was born (d. 1976). American actress.
• 1929 - Rosalind Hurley was born (d. 2004). British physician, barrister, ethicist and writer.
• 1931 - Skeeter Davis was born (d. 2004). American singer.
• 1931 - Tyrone Power Sr dies at 62. Actor (Big Trial, Test of Donald Norton).
• 1933 - O primeiro-ministro da Roménia, Íon Duca, é assassinado por um membro da Guarda de Ferro.
• 1933 - El ministro Javier Burgos establece la división de España en 49 provincias.
• 1934 - Del Shannon was born (d. 1990). American singer. His biggest hit is the No. 1 song "Runaway". Listen it here.
• 1934 - John Norris Bahcall was born (d. 2005). American physicist.
• 1934 - Joseph Bologna was born. American actor.
• 1934 - Joseph P. Hoar was born. U.S. general.
• 1934 - Russ Tamblyn was born. American actor, dancer and singer.
• 1935 - Jack Riley was born. American actor.
• 1935 - Luís Alberto Moniz Bandeira was born. Brazilian historian and political scientist.
  
• 1935 - Omar Bongo was born. President of Gabon.
• 1935 - Sandy Koufax was born. American baseball player.
• 1936 - Beginning of successful 44 day sit-down strike by the United Auto Workers union at GM plant in Flint, MI.
• 1937 - Gordon Banks was born in Sheffield. British footballer (goal-keeper).
• 1937 - Jim Marshall was born. American football player.
• 1937 - John Hartford was born (d. 2001). American musician.
• 1937 - Noel Paul Stookey was born. American folk singer (Peter, Paul & Mary).
• 1937 - Paul Stookey was born. American singer.
• 1938 - An electronic television system was patented by V.K. Zworykin.
• 1939 - Felix Pappalardi was born (d. 1983). American musician and recording producer (Mountain).
• 1939 - Glenda Adams was born (d. 2007). Australian author.
• 1940 - California opens its first freeway: the Arroyo Seco Parkway.
• 1940 - James Burrows was born. American television director.
• 1940 – Childe Wills dies (b. 1878). Early associate of Henry Ford, one of the first employees of the Ford Motor Company, and a contributor to the design of the Model T.
• 1941 - Mel Renfro was born. American football player.
• 1941 - El Lissitzky dies (b. 1890). Russian artist and architect.
• 1942 - Fred Ward was born. American actor.
• 1942 - Guy Edwards was born. English racing driver.
• 1942 - Janko Prunk was born. Slovenian historian.
• 1942 - Michael Nesmith was born. American singer and musician (The Monkees).
• 1942 - Vladimir Bukovsky was born. Russian author and dissident.
• 1943 - Subhash Chandra Bose raises the flag of Indian independence at Port Blair.
• 1944 - King George II of Greece declares a regency, leaving his throne vacant.
• 1944 - William J. Fallon was born. U.S. Navy Admiral, former U.S. Central Command commander.
• 1944 - Romain Rolland dies (b. 1866). French writer and pacifist, Nobel Prize laureate in 1915.
• 1945 - Arnaldo Faria de Sá was born in São Paulo. Brazilian radio personality and politician.
• 1945 - Concetta Tomei was born. American actress.
• 1945 - Davy Jones was born. English singer (The Monkees).
• 1945 - Lloyd Kaufman was born. American film director and producer.
• 1945 - Vernon Wells was born. Australian actor.
• 1946 - Patti Smith was born. American singer and poet.
• 1947 - King Michael of Romania forced to abdicate by the Soviet-backed Communist government of Romania.
• 1947 - Jeff Lynne was born. English singer and musician (ELO).
• 1947 - Michael Burns was born. American historian and actor.
• 1947 - Alfred North Whitehead dies (b. 1961). English mathematician and philosopher, who collaborated with Bertrand Russell on Principia Mathematica (1910-13).
• 1947 - Han van Meegeren dies (b. 1889). Dutch painter, portraitist and art forgers.
• 1948 - The Cole Porter Broadway musical, Kiss Me, Kate opens opens at the New Century Theatre for the first of 1,077 performances and becomes the first show to win the Best Musical Tony Award.
• 1949 - India recognizes People's Republic of China.
• 1949 - Jim Flaherty was born. Canadian politician.
• 1950 - Vietnam, Laos & Cambodia become Independent states in France Union.
• 1950 - Bjarne Stroustrup was born. Danish computer scientist, creator of C++.
• 1950 - Lewis Shiner was born. American sci-fi/fantasy author.
• 1951 - Doug Allder was born. English football player.
• 1951 - Jocky Wilson was born. Scottish Darts player.
• 1952 - June Anderson was born. American soprano.
• 1953 - The first ever color television sets go on sale for about USD $1,175 each from RCA.
• 1953 - Bill Kazmaier was born. American powerlifter.
• 1953 – Daniel Barry was born. American astronaut.
• 1953 - Harald Schmautz was born. German-born journalist.
• 1953 - Meredith Vieira was born. American television journalist.
• 1954 - 1.st use of 24-sec shot clock in pro basketball (Rochester vs Boston).
• 1954 - Archduke Eugen of Austria dies (b. 1863). Austrian field marshal.
• 1955 - Dindo Yogo was born (d. 2000). Congolese musician.
• 1955 - Rex Ingamells dies (b. 1913). Australian poet.
• 1956 - Sheryl Lee Ralph was born. American actress.
• 1956 - Suzy Bogguss was born. American singer.
• 1957 - Matt Lauer was born. American newscaster.
• 1957 - Israeli government of Ben-Gurion, resigns.
• 1958 - Rod Harrington was born. English darts player.
• 1958 - Steven L. Smith was born. American astronaut.
• 1959 - Josée Verner was born. French Canadian politician.
• 1959 - Tracey Ullman was born. English actress and singer.
• 1960 - Kelli Maroney was born. American actress.
• 1961 - Ben Johnson was born. Canadian athlete.
• 1961 - Douglas Coupland was born. Canadian author.
• 1961 - Sean Hannity was born. American talk radio host and conservative political commentator.
• 1962 - Alessandra Mussolini was born. Italian conservative politician and former actress (Ferragosto OK) and model.
• 1962 - Henry Cho was born. Korean-American comedian.
• 1962 – Joshua Clover was born. American poet.
• 1963 - Chandler Burr was born. American author.
• 1963 - Michelle Douglas was born. Canadian human rights activist.
• 1963 - Milan Šrejber was born. Czech tennis player.
• 1964 - Duglas T. Stewart, Scottish musician (BMX Bandits).
• 1964 - Sylvie Moreau was born. French Canadian actress.
• 1965 - Ferdinand Marcos becomes President of the Philippines.
• 1965 - Darrin C. Huss, Canadian singer Psyche.
• 1965 - Heidi Fleiss was born. American madam.
• 1965 - Zoe Kelli Simon was born. American actress.
• 1965 - Heidi Fleiss was born. American madam.
• 1966 - Bennett Miller was born. American film director.
• 1967 - Carl Ouellet was born. Canadian professional wrestler.
• 1967 – Karen Dunne was born. American track and road cyclist.
• 1967 - Vincent Massey dies (b. 1887). Governor-General of Canada.
• 1968 - Meredith Monroe was born. American actress.
• 1968 - Trygve Lie dies (b. 1896). First United Nations Secretary General.
• 1969 - Jack Yablonski was murdered. Reform mine leader.
• 1969 - Dave England was born. American television personality.
• 1969 - Jay Kay was born. English musician and singer (Jamiroquai).
• 1970 - Sonny Liston dies (b. 1932). American boxer.
• 1971 - Daniel Sunjata was born. American actor.
• 1971 - Ricardo Lopez Felipe was born. Spanish footballer.
• 1971 - Melba Rae dies (b. 1922). American actress.
• 1972 - Vietnam War: President Nixon halted the heavy bombing on North Vietnam.
• 1972 - Daniel Amokachi was born. Nigerian football player.
• 1972 - Kerry Collins was born. American football player.
• 1972 - Paul Keegan was born. Irish footballer.
• 1972 - Selton Mello was born in Passos, Minas Gerais. Brazilian actor.
• 1972 - Steven Wiig was born. American actor and musician.
• 1973 - Ato Boldon was born. West Indian athlete.
• 1973 - Jason Behr was born. American actor.
• 1973 - Nacho Vidal was born. Spanish porn star.
• 1974 - Beatles are legally disbanded (4 years after suit was brought).
• 1974 - Johanna Sällström was born (d. 2007). Swedish actress.
• 1975 - Constitution of Democratic Republic of Madagascar comes into force.
• 1975 - Scott Chipperfield was born. Australian soccer player.
• 1975 - Tiger Woods was born. American golfer.
• 1976 - The Smothers Brothers play their last show (Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas).
• 1976 - A.J. Pierzynski was born. American baseball player.
• 1976 - Alex A. Quinn was born. American actor.
• 1976 - Meredith_Monroe was born. American actress.
• 1976 - Patrick Kerney was born. American football player.
  1977 - For the second time, Ted Bundy escapes from his cell in Glenwood Springs, Colorado.
• 1977 - Grant Balfour was born. Australian baseball player.
• 1977 - Kazuyuki Toda was born. Japanese footballer.
• 1977 - Kenyon Martin was born. American basketball player.
• 1977 - Laila Ali was born. American boxer.
• 1977 - Scott Lucas was born. Australian rules footballer.
• 1978 - Devin Brown was born. American basketball player.
• 1978 – Rob Scuderi was born. American ice hockey player.
• 1978 - Tyrese was born. American singer.
• 1978 - Zbigniew Robert Promiński was born. Polish drummer.
• 1979 - Rock group, Emerson, Lake & Palmer break up.
• 1979 - Togo adopts constitution.
• 1979 - Flávio Amado was born. Angolan footballer.
• 1979 - Richard Rodgers dies (b. 1902). American composer.
• 1980 - After 25 years, the longest-running prime-time TV series The Wonderful World of Disney is cancelled by NBC.
• 1980 – DJ Mbenga was born. Belgian basketball player.
• 1980 - Eliza Dushku was born. American actress.
• 1980 - Kenny Kwan was born. Hong-Kong singer.
• 1981 - In the 39th game of his 3rd NHL season Wayne Gretzky scores 5 goals giving him 50 on the year setting a new NHL record previously held by Maurice Richard and Mike Bossy who earlier had each scored 50 goals in 50 games.
• 1981 - Ali Al Habsi was born. Omani footballer.
• 1981 - Haley Paige was born (d. 2007). American porn star.
• 1981 - Matt Ulrich was born. American football player.
• 1981 - Michael Rodríguez was born. Costa Rican football player.
• 1981 - Alfie Anido dies (b. 1959). Filipino actor.
• 1982 - Dathan Ritzenhein was born. American runner.
• 1982 - Dawan Landry was born. American football player.
• 1982 - Kristin Kreuk was born. Canadian actress.
• 1983 - A 7.2 earthquake killed 26 people in Afghanistan (14) and Pakistan (12).
• 1984 - LeBron James was born. American basketball player.
• 1984 - Randall Azofeifa was born. Costa Rican footballer.
• 1984 - Massa dies (b. 1930). Oldest gorilla on record.
• 1985 - Alexa Ray Joel was born. Daughter of Billy Joel and Christie Brinkley.
• 1985 - Pakistan restores constitution.
• 1985 – Bryson Goodwin was born. Rugby League player.
• 1985 - Lars Boom was born. Dutch cyclist.
• 1986 - The Swift Current Broncos' bus crashes during bad weather outside of Swift Current, Saskatchewan, killing 4 players and injuring 1.
• 1986 - Era Bell Thompson dies (b. 1905). American journalist.
• 1987 - The Transkei government is overthrown in a bloodless coup led by General Bantubonke Holomisa, commander of the Transkei Defence Force.
• 1987 - Premier Mugabe elected President of Zimbabwe.
• 1987 - Jake Cuenca was born. Filipino actor and commercial model.
• 1987 - Thomaz Bellucci was bor. Brazilian tennis player.
• 1988 - Leon Jackson was born. Scottish singer.
• 1988 - Yuli Daniel dies (b. 1925). Russian writer.
• 1989 - Dmitri Volkov swims world record 50m freestyle (27.15 sec).
• 1989 - Alex Germany-Wald was born. American activist.
• 1989 - Letícia Colin was born. Brazilian actress.
• 1989 - Ryan Sheckler was born. Professional skateboarder.
• 1989 - Lenore Lemmon dies (b. 1923). Wife of George Reeves.
• 1992 - Ling-Ling dies (b. 1969). Panda given to the USA by China.
• 1993 - Israel and the Vatican signed an agreement of mutual recognition to put an end to Jewish-Christian hostilities.
• 1993 - Giuseppe Occhialini dies (b. 1997). Italian physicist.
• 1993 - Irving "Swifty" Lazar dies (b. 1907). American Hollywood talent agent.
• 1993 - Mack David dies (b. 1912). American lyricist and songwriter.
• 1994 - Dmitri Ivanenko dies (b. 1904). Russian physicist.
• 1994 - Maureen Starkey dies (b. 1946). Wife of Ringo Starr.
• 1995 - The lowest ever UK temperature of -27.2°C was recorded at Altnaharra in the Scottish Highlands. This equalled the record set at Braemar, Aberdeenshire on February 11, 1895 and January 10, 1982.
• 1995 - Doris Grau dies (b. 1924). American actress.
• 1995 - Ralph Flanagan dies (b. 1914). American band leader.
• 1996 - In the Indian state of Assam, a passenger train is bombed by Bodo separatists, killing 26.
• 1996 - Proposed budget cuts by Benjamin Netanyahu spark protests from 250,000 workers who shut down services across Israel.
• 1996 - Jack Nance dies (b. 1943). American actor.
• 1996 - Lew Ayres dies (b. 1908). American actor.
• 1997 - In the worst incident in Algeria's insurgency, the Wilaya of Relizane massacres, 400 people are killed from four villages.
• 1997 - In Spain a judge accused 36 Argentine military and police officers of involvement in torture and the disappearance of 600 Spaniards during the dirty war from 1976-1983. Most of those named served in the ESMA, a torture center used by the military regime.
• 1997 - In Italy Danilo Dolci, advocate of nonviolent social reform, died at age 73. His writings and poetry chronicled Sicily’s beauty and despair. His books include: “Report From Palermo,” “Waste,” and "Sicilian Lives".
• 1997 - Shinichi Hoshi dies (b. 1926). Japanese novelist.
• 1998 - Joaquim Pacífico da Silva dies in Guararema, São Paulo (b. 1909). Brazilian musician, singer and composer.
• 1998 - George Webb dies (b. 1911). English actor.
• 1998 - Johnny Moore dies (b. 1934). American singer (The Drifters).
• 1998 - Sam Muchnick dies (b. 1905). American professional wrestling promoter.
• 1999 - O ex-beatle George Harrison foi esfaqueado no tórax dentro de sua mansão em Londres por Michael Abram, de 33 anos. Foi hospitalizado recebendo alta dias depois.
• 1999 - Fritz Leonhardt dies (b. 1909). German structural engineer.
• 1999 - Sarah Knauss dies (b. 1880). American, once considered the world's oldest living person.
• 2000 - Rizal Day Bombings: A series of bombs explode in various places in Metro Manila, Philippines within a span of a few hours, killing 22 and injuring about a hundred.
• 2000 - Julius J. Epstein dies (b. 1909). American screenwriter.
• 2001 - Pakistan arrested Hafiz Saeed, leader of Lashkar-e-Tayyaba (Army of the Pure) as India moved more troops to the border.
• 2002 - Eleanor Jack Gibson dies (b. 1910). American psychologist who studied learning processes in children. She is remembered for her “visual cliff” experiment which showed how an infant's depth perception helps prevent injuries and falls.
• 2002 - Mary Brian dies (b. 1906). American actress.
• 2002 - Mary Wesley dies (b. 1912). English novelist.
• 2003 - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced it was banning the sale of ephedra and urged consumers to immediately stop using the herbal stimulant linked to 155 deaths and dozens of heart attacks and strokes.
• 2003 - U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft recuses himself and his office from the Plame affair.
• 2003 - Anita Mui dies (b. 1963). Hong Kong singer and actress.
• 2003 - David Bale dies (b. 1941). South African-born activist.
• 2003 - John Gregory Dunne dies (b. 1932). American writer.
• 2004 - A fire in the República Cromagnon nightclub in Buenos Aires, Argentina, kills 194.
• 2004 - Artie Shaw dies (b. 1910). American jazz clarinetist, composer, and bandleader.
• 2005 - Tropical Storm Zeta forms in the open Atlantic, tying the record for the latest tropical cyclone ever to form in the North Atlantic basin.
• 2005 – Eddie Barlow dies (b. 1940). South African cricketer.
• 2005 - Gianni Ratto dies (b. 1916). Italian cenographer.
• 2005 - Rona Jaffe dies (b. 1932). American author.
• 2006 - Madrid Barajas International Airport is bombed.
• 2006 - Deposed President of Irak Saddam Hussein (b. 1937), convicted of the executions of 148 Iraqi Shiit, is executed by hanging.
• 2006 - Michel Plasse dies (b. 1948). Canadian ice hockey player.
• 2006 - Terry Peck (b. 1938), who acted as a scout for 3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment in the Falklands War, dies.
• R.C. Saints - Pope Felix I (optional memorial), Saint Sabinus, Anysia of Salonika, Anysius, Aphian, Donatus, Egwin of Worcester, Eugene of Milan, Eugenia Ravasco, Exuperantius, Holy Family (2007), Honorius, John Alcober, Liberius of Ravenna, Mansuetus, Marcellus, Margaret Colonna, Matthia dei Nazzarei, Our Lady of Bethlehem, Ralph of Vaucelles, Raynerius of Aquila, Ruggero of Canne, Severus, Venustian.
• Philippines - Rizal Day.
• Freedom Day for Scientologists: according to the Church, this day celebrates the official recognition in 1974 of the Church of Scientology in the United States.